Floor drain cover



March 15, 1960 Filed Nov. 5, 1956 Fig I 56\ V 22x 52 /8 L 26 Q 20 I6 58 i /4 Carl M. Kruse IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent FLOOR DRAIN COVER Carl M. Kruse, Chicago, Ill. 7 Application November 5, 1956, Serial No. 620,491 r 2 Claims. (Cl. 131-593 This invention relates to a device for preventing the overflow of drains during abnormal conditionsin the sewerage system.

An object of the invention is to provide a device to prevent the overflow of drains during storms and more particularly to provide a device to prevent the overflow of such drains in a cellar or other low point where an overflow could be damaging to property.

In some localities the lower drains in domestic installations of sewerage systems, often fail to carry away storm water at a sufficiently fast rate and therefore the water in the sewerage system exteriorly of the house, that is in the streets, backs up to the domestic installation, principally to the basement or lower drains. Instead of permitting the water to back up through the drain and flood the basement, the invention provides a device, quickly connectable to the drain without the use of any tools which device functions as a standpipe in which the backed-up water may rise.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide an adaptor for the drain, the adaptor having a flange and socket, the flange being attachable to an ordinary grate of a drain by an extremely simple and eflective fastening device without the use of any tools, and the socket being adapted to accommodate a standpipe of any desired length. v

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of an ordinary drain having an adaptor thereon which exemplifies the principles of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the structure in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the adaptor;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a part of the means for fastening the adaptor to the drain grate, and;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the adaptor showing the hole pattern therein.

In Fig. 1 there is shown a part of a sewerage system and particularly, a sewer pipe mounted in a basement floor 12, the schematic representation at 12 indicating not only a basement floor but any other type of floor or surface wherein this part of the sewerage system may be located. The ordinary grate 14 is disposed on the top end of pipe 10 and has a plurality of slots 16 in it. This is standard structure found in ordinary sewerage systems.

The attachment 18 consists of an adaptor 20, means 22 to fasten the adaptor to the grate 14 and a standpipe ice 24. Adaptor 20 is preferably made of a lightweight material, as a suitable plastic, as is standpipe 24. The adaptor'consists of a socket 26 which is made of a short sleeve or collar provided with a bottom wall 28 from which peripheral flange 30 extends. The lower edge of the flange is relieved as at 32 in order to form a seat for the resilient gasket 34. The gasket is seated between the adaptor and thegrate 14, resting in the relieved part of the adaptor and on the surface of grate 14, circumscrib: ing all of the openings 16. The bottom Wall 28 of the socket has apertures 36 formed in a circle or in some other pattern and has a central slot 40. l

' The means'for fastenlng the attachment quickly in place on the grate 14 consists of a bolt 42 having an upper threaded end 44 and a flat end 46. The flat end has keeper arm 48 mounted on pivot 50 so that it is capable of swinging through a limited arc. Spring 52 is mounted coaxially on bushing or sleeve 54, this bushing being on the bolt 42 and having upper and lower washers 56 and 58 in contact therewith. The spring seats against the upper and lower washers, one being on the upper surface of the bottom wall of socket 26 while the other washer has wing nut 60 in contact therewith.

The standpipe 24 is of a dimension to fit snugly in the slightly tapered socket 26 and may be made of any material, for example plastic. It is preferred, although not essential, that the socket be made approximately cylindrical with a slight taper and the standpipe 24 be cylindrical.

The device is assembled by first passing the threaded end 44 of the bolt 42 upwardly through the slot 40 in the bottom 28 of the adapter 20, whereupon the parts 52, 54, 56, 58 and 60 are assembled on the bolt. The adapter 20 may then be applied to the grate 14 by aligning the arm 48 with the central of the slots 16 in the grate, and pressing the bolt downwardly so that the arm 48 passes through the slot and is disposed below the grate. The bolt is then rotated through a one-quarter turn, so that the arm 48 extends transversely of the drain slots 16 and prevents the bolt from being withdrawn. The spring 52 urges the arm 48 against the underside of the grate and when the nut is tightened, the adapter is firmly affixed to the grate, with the sleeve 54 limiting the extent to which compression of the spring may be etfected. Finally, the standpipe 24 is inserted in the socket 26 to complete the installation.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use in combination with a floor drain grate having a set of openings, an attachment to prevent overflow from back flow through said grate, said attachment comprising an adapter having a socket provided with a flange, a relieved portion formed at the underside of said flange, a gasket seated in said relieved portion and fitting on the grate, said gasket circumscribing all of the grate openings and holding said adapter spaced slightly from the grate, said socket having a bottom wall formed with apertures, means for attaching the adapter to the grate comprising a bolt passing through one of said grate openings and through one of said socket apertures, a keeper arfn on said bolt at the underside of the grate, a threaded element engaging threads on said bolt, a'sleeve encircling said bolt between said threaded element and the bottom wall of said socket, washers disposed on said bolt at both ends of said sleeve, a spring disposed on said sleeve and contacting said washers for constantly yieldingly biasing the bolt upwardly and pressing the keeper arm against the underside of the grate whereby upon adjustment of ,S i thtea d el men on s d b l th P essure exerted b said se es m b i d and a standpipe m u t in said s'ocketI 2 The'combination of a floor drain grate having a set pfopenings and an attachment to' prevent overflow from back flow through said grate, said attachment comprising an adapter positioned over the'grate and including a? enquired bs qm a l an n p r portion m d d with a socket, a standpipemounted in said socket, an granular gasket interposed between the marginal portion pf said bottom wall and said grate, a bolt extending up;

wardly through one of the openings in the grate and through an aperture in said bottom wall into said socket,-

V a keeper arm provided at the lower end of said bolt at the underside ot the grate, a nut provided at the upper end of the bolt, a tubular sleeve of a fixed length positioned on said bolt between said nut and said bottom wall, and a compression spring positioned on said sleeve in cooperating relation with said bottom wall and said nut, whereby said spring urges said keeper arm against the underside of said grate and whereby said sleeve limits the extent to which compression of said spring may be effected.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 570,543 Coles Nov. 3, 1896 602,332 Apr. 12, 1898 608,207' 1898 1,052,363 1913 1,625,684 1927 1,773,640 1930 1,885,372 Nuebling Nov. 1, 1932 2,008,258 Olsen July 16, 1935 2,202,116 Mosley May 28, 1940 

